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Nokia runs one of the world’s largest private clouds at the Telia Helsinki Data Center
6 min
Nokia, a global leader in connectivity and intelligent network solutions, operates one of the world’s largest private cloud services in six data centres around the world. In Finland, its critical services run on the Telia Helsinki Data Center – a modern, carrier‑neutral environment designed to support high-performance services.
For an international technology company, a data centre environment must, above all, provide reliability, scalability and a high level of security.
Nokia’s private cloud, the Nokia Enterprise and Services Cloud (NESC), runs 24/7 globally and has seen rapidly increasing power and density demands.
“NESC functions as Nokia’s unified cloud compute and AI factory for engineering and solution hosting, making uninterrupted operations essential,” says Yilmaz Karayilan, Head of Enterprise and Services Cloud at Nokia.
Previously housed in Nokia’s own data hall, NESC had outgrown its environment. Ongoing maintenance, upgrades and capital investments consumed resources that were better spent on advancing services and innovation. The company therefore sought a solution that would allow it to focus on its core operations.
To meet these demands, Nokia partnered with Telia, the leading telecommunications and infrastructure operator in the Nordic and Baltic countries.
Telia provides domestic and international companies with data centre, cloud and connectivity services.
Completed in 2018, the Telia Helsinki Data Center in Helsinki is the largest open data centre in the Nordic countries. Nokia became one of the data centre’s first customers. The company transferred both its NESC cloud solution and its own IT environment to dedicated data halls within the same high‑security infrastructure.
“Our private cloud service is among the largest in the world in terms of scale. It is delivered through six data centres worldwide, with the Telia Helsinki Data Center being an important part of this whole. The data centre is the backbone of our service: if it doesn’t work, neither does the cloud.”
Telia Helsinki Data Center is located only 17 milliseconds from Central Europe
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Reliability and scalability at the core
When Nokia assessed new options, three criteria guided the decision: capacity for growth, delivery reliability, and environmental and operational scalability. The chosen environment needed to support increasingly demanding workloads such as artificial intelligence, high-performance computing (HPC), and power-intensive cloud services.
“Our cloud service is built on open‑source technologies, and the equipment now consumes many times more power and cooling than before. Telia has added capacity whenever we have needed it. There are also several effective solutions for cooling,” says Yilmaz Karayilan.
The Telia Helsinki Data Center offered an ideal setting. Its location in Finland’s capital enables easy access for Nokia’s experts, and the overall service provided excellent value for money. The decision was supported by the companies’ long-standing cooperation – Telia is also a customer of Nokia’s 4G and 5G technologies – further reinforced the decision.
“Everything has worked perfectly from the very beginning. Our collaboration is genuinely a win-win situation: we gain access to Telia’s technology and expertise, and vice versa.”
Over time, Nokia has expanded its capacity and consolidated infrastructure from other sites into the Telia Helsinki Data Centre.
Security and performance as the foundation of a global service
Security was among Nokia’s highest priorities. Telia’s data centre provides an environment where physical security, access control and monitoring are tightly controlled, and certified operational processes meet the needs of an international technology company. Redundancy in critical systems reduces risks and strengthens service continuity.
“Telia provides us with a reliable, certified environment and redundant external connections. We manage our data halls’ internal network and its connections to the rest of our infrastructure,” Karayilan explains.
The Telia Helsinki Data Center offers a carrier-neutral environment, where connections provided by multiple operators are readily available and easily scalable.
“Our data centre is effectively a hub for digital traffic, where customers have access to server space around the clock. We can provide solutions for all the technologies currently in use. For Nokia, our data centre is the secure home of an important service business,” says Tuomas Koittola, Senior Solution Expert at Telia.
Energy transparency supports Nokia’s climate targets
The Telia Helsinki Data Center uses carbon-neutral renewable electricity. Its location in Helsinki makes it possible to channel the heat generated by thousands of servers to warm more than 20,000 homes. The cooling solutions control the equipment’s temperature effectively without relying on drinking water.
“Energy efficiency and transparency play a critical role for us. Nokia aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030. We need accurate information about the electricity and cooling consumption of our data centre partners in order to report our own emissions reliably and lower our carbon footprint,” says Yilmaz Karayilan.
A partnership built on trust and continuous improvement
The partnership between Telia and Nokia is built on close cooperation and mutual trust. The companies conduct regular reviews to follow service performance, address upcoming needs, and plan future development.
From Nokia’s perspective, a reliable data centre foundation is essential for a good partnership.
“The development of our services requires that the foundation functions flawlessly. Telia understands this well: they find solutions quickly, and their operations evolve in line with our needs. In the end, it all comes down to people, and our contacts are excellent,” says Yilmaz Karayilan.
Challenge
Nokia previously ran its own data hall, but it no longer met the company’s expanding capacity, security and compliance requirements. To support its global operations, Nokia needed a reliable, certified environment that would also free internal teams to focus on developing new services rather than maintaining infrastructure.
Solution
Nokia consolidated its private cloud platform and internal IT environment at the Telia Helsinki Data Center – a carrier-neutral, highly resilient facility designed to support power-intensive workloads and the demands of international service delivery.
Benefits
A reliable partner provides Nokia with a secure, cost-efficient data centre environment. Telia’s environment allows capacity to scale rapidly when needed, ensures seamless global connectivity, and provides carbon-neutral energy that supports Nokia’s climate commitments.